The Darkness Inside
by ImmortalNightmares
Summary: An AU, darker version of the story we all know and love. Danny's fears, doubts and struggles as a teen plus a freak of nature his parents want to hunt. Vlad is smarter and more careful in this retelling, and things might take a different turn as the arch nemesis becomes a mentor and friend instead. With Danny slowly giving into his ghost side, will he be the hero or the villain?
1. Chapter 1: Accident

An AU, darker version of the story we all know and love. Danny's fears, doubts and struggles as a teen plus a freak of nature his parents want to hunt. Vlad is smarter and more careful in this retelling, and things might take a different turn as the arch nemesis becomes a mentor and friend instead. With Danny slowly giving into his ghost side, will he be the hero or the villain?

* * *

Hi, I'm Elisabeth. This is my first fan fiction in five years. I've since learned how to draw and color, so the cover is by me. I hope you enjoy this story. Thanks for reading it. ^_^

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Accident**

Danny Fenton grimaced as his friends took in his parents' handiwork. Their pieces of fictional equipment that didn't work. Meant for an even more fictional purpose. Ghost hunting.

He winced a little as Sam finally let out a giggle. Tucker couldn't help but laugh too. Danny felt mortified. This had been a bad idea, and he'd known it. So why had he even bothered bringing his friends down to the basement in the first place? Oh right. Because they'd begged.

"So there," Danny said as he faced them with what little dignity he had left. "Now you see what my parents do all day. Can we go now?"

His ears turned red as Sam walked past him and over to the so called _ghost portal_ looking incredibly amused. "So what does this big one do?"

Danny sighed. "It supposedly opens a portal to a ghost dimension."

Sam giggled again, "Okay, let's go in then." She gestured to Danny. "You first."

"Yeah," Tucker agreed with teasing amusement in his eyes. "You first."

Danny looked at his friends irritably, but he couldn't help being amused with them. It was a really ridiculous situation. Suddenly getting the nerve to make it even more silly, Danny looked at Sam and Tucker knowingly.

"Okay guys, but I'm warning you, it's dangerous." They raised sarcastic eyebrows.

"So," said Danny, walking over to a rack, "I'll need to put on a safety suit first."

He held up a black lab suit and grinned. Tucker and Sam nearly doubled over with their laughter this time. Okay, this Danny could enjoy. They were goofing off. He actually felt like today was becoming almost normal.

He swiftly slid his suit on over his clothes and asked, "So, how do I look?"

Sam and Tucker snickered as a response. Danny just grinned a cocky grin and stepped into the portal chamber. His boots made clanking sounds as he walked deeper in. He scanned the cold steel walls until his fingers reached the on switch.

Strangely enough, knowing that this invention didn't work, didn't make him feel any safer about the idea of turning it on. Part of him wanted to turn it on and see if it somehow did work. Part of him really wished his parents weren't crazy. Before he lost his nerve, Danny braced himself and pushed down the big red button.

Before he could think another thought, he was thrown back in a sudden wave of unexplainable alien energy. Green light exploded everywhere, overpowering his senses. Danny screamed at the top of his lungs, writhing in the most intense agony of his life. His every cell felt like it was burning as the alien power washed through him. It seemed to be laughing at him as its tendrils slithered about his consciousness. More and more of the malevolent force entered him, coursing through his blood, changing him, changing who and what he was. He could feel it.

"What the heck is happening to me?!" Danny screamed.

All he could see was the blinding green light. All he could hear were his screams. All he could feel was pain and the sense of something that wasn't the least bit human settling inside of him. At last it was finally too much to bear, and Danny faded into unconsciousness.

* * *

The next thing Danny became aware of was that he was lying on something soft. A bed? He could hear the beeping of a heart monitor pick up its pace as he became more and more awake. His eyes flickered open hesitantly, only to see a dull beige colored ceiling.

He was in a hospital? Why was he in a hospital? Then it all came back to him. The basement. Sam and Tucker. The machine. Had it worked after all? If the on button did something like what it had, then maybe his parents weren't crazy. He took little comfort in that thought as a more horrifying one set in. He was hurt and in a hospital, so what about Sam and Tucker?

He sat up in bed and looked around frantically. "Sam! Tucker!" he shrieked.

He was in a small room all by himself. His friends were nowhere in sight, and his heart pounded. Were they okay, or were they worse off than even he was?

Still foggy from his time spent unconscious, Danny wasn't really thinking things through clearly. He tore his covers off of him and slid out of bed, ready to scour the hospital if that's what it took. No, he wasn't sliding out of bed. His leg was sliding through the floor!

Danny blinked, trying to deny what he was seeing. His leg was literally transparent and halfway through the floor. Recoiling, he tried to lift it back towards him and onto the safety of the bed, but then the arm he was leaning on slipped right through the mattress. That moment of complete disbelief was all it took for him to slip right through the bed, the floor, and to the floor below his room.

He landed with a thud and looked around him to see working nurses. One of them gasped when she saw him. "He's that coma patient! How'd he get out of his room?"

Another nurse hollered, "Get doctor Moore over here, and someone call the Fentons!"

Danny was stunned. What the heck was going on? How had he slipped right through the ceiling? Was he crazy, or were all those things his parents said about ghosts starting to sound a lot more real? If they were, did that mean he was a ghost? He didn't feel dead. He felt alive, but at the same time he felt very different from how he had before. He shuddered, thinking of the malevolent energy that had consumed him back in the basement. What the heck had he gotten himself into by pressing that stupid button? One thing was for sure. It was nothing good.

* * *

A cold calculating man with a silver ponytail eyed the armored ghost before him. "Are you sure these rumors are correct, Skulker?"

The ghost glared. "Yes. My information is reliable. Do you doubt me?"

"Of course I do not doubt you. You are the greatest hunter in the ghost zone, Skulker," said the silver haired man, sugarcoating his words with flattery.

"I'm merely very surprised that Jack Fenton managed to create a portal. The oaf has fudge for brains. Its no wonder it took him twenty years."

The man's eyes narrowed, and an evil grin spread across his face. Twenty years. After twenty long years of yearning for revenge, he finally had a way to achieve his dreams. Jack Fenton would die, and Maddie would be his. Of course, it would take some time. Also, if he didn't play with his prey before the slaughter, where was the fun?

"I'll begin by sending some surprises his way," the man mused aloud, then he let a few of his ectopuses out of their cages. They glared and hissed at him for being trapped so long, tentacles writhing.

"Now now, my pets," he chided, "Your freedom is assured. I just want you to do one last thing for me."

The ectopuses hissed excitedly at the word _freedom_. Knowing he had their attention now, the man grinned evilly and said, "The task is simple. Kill Jack Fenton."

The ectopuses couldn't move through their master's own ghost zone portal quickly enough they were so excited. The man smiled cruelly, knowing this task would be the last thing they would ever do. The ectopuses would simply be the first of many ghosts meant to test Jack's strength.

"Not to interrupt," said Skulker who was eyeing the scene uncomfortably, "but there is more."

The silver haired man sighed irritably and turned to face him, "What more could possibly matter at this point?"

"Well, I just thought you should know what happened when the portal turned on." Skulker winced at the glare he got.

"And that is?" the man prompted with shorting patience.

"The Fenton's son turned it on from the inside. He's just woken up from a week long coma."

The silver haired man felt a strange wave of shock go through him. Could it be what he thought it was? Did another halfa now exist? It was still too early to tell, but he would likely find out very soon. The thought intrigued him, but the implications also frightened him. For the first time since the accident twenty years ago, he felt like he might not be nearly so alone in the world, but would this halfa join him or fight him?

* * *

See you in the next chapter! Again, thanks for reading. :D


	2. Chapter 2: Revelations

**Chapter 2: Revelations**

Danny tried his best to prepare himself to not to act freaked out when he saw everyone. They were on their way. Mom, Dad, Jazz, and even Sam and Tucker who he'd been relieved to hear were perfectly fine. Still who could he possibly tell about his new phenomena? Who could he trust? Who would even believe him?

He couldn't tell his parents. They were ghost hunters. He wasn't sure they'd understand this particular case. Unconditional love might not quite save him if he was like a ghost now.

His friends were probably freaked out enough themselves by what happened. If the portal had worked and was opened, thanks to Danny, he hated to think what would come out. He and Sam and Tucker were now scarred for life with the knowledge that ghosts were real, but his friends could stay away from his house. No need to put them through any more trauma, right? Honestly Danny wasn't sure he could hold his predicament back from everyone. He was going to have to tell someone eventually or he would lose his mind.

"Danny! Oh thank goodness!" His teary eyed mom rushed over and hugged him and started giving him huge kisses all over his face.

Danny took a second to get over the shock then he protested, "Mom, I'm okay really! You don't have to put lipstick all over me!"

She stepped back and frowned. "Oh. Sorry. I'll get a tissue to wipe this off."

She turned away then back again. "Make that a lot of tissues."

Danny groaned, and gave everyone a helpless look and forced smile. "I have kiss marks all over my face don't I?"

No one could help it. They laughed, sounding strangely relieved. Danny found himself actually joining in. That was a nice moment until it was ruined by his dad's next question.

"So, Danny, you've seen the other side. Tell me, what does it look like?"

Danny's face fell instantly. "I well…I didn't see anything. It was too bright."

Jazz scowled at their father. "That was so insensitive, Dad! That stupid machine of yours is the reason Danny's in this mess. Besides, there's no proof it leads to some ghost dimension, which doesn't exist by the way because there are no such thing as ghosts!"

She was fuming and huffing at their Dad. All anyone could do was stare at her for the outburst. Danny however cut in, feeling defensive. He felt like he had to warn them at least slightly, just without revealing what had happened to him.

"You weren't there, Jazz. When I pushed the on button, I might not have seen anything, but I felt..." he trailed off weakly with fear in his voice. "It felt pure evil. I was terrified, I—" he trailed off again feeling embarrassed for showing so much emotion. He just hoped the red of his mom's lipstick hid the fact that his skin was probably turning pink.

Sam and Tucker looked at him sympathetically and worriedly, then Sam said something that both relieved and dismayed Danny. "Um, Danny, we didn't feel anything evil. We just saw the explosion and you screaming on the floor."

Great. So at least Sam and Tucker hadn't been affected like Danny, but now he probably sounded crazier than his parents for once. No one else could confirm the evil force that had been there. The evil force that still seemed to be inside Danny, maybe forever.

"What was I screaming about," Danny asked cautiously, hoping he hadn't given anything away about what had happened to his body.

"You just screamed. No words."

Sam smiled and said it almost too cheerfully, like she was lying. Danny could see an almost fearful look in here eyes though. Were she and Tucker covering for him? He felt really touched by that. He had to know for sure, though so he asked something he hoped wouldn't be as hurtful as it sounded in his head.

"Um, can I talk to Sam and Tucker alone?"

Danny winced as his family's faces fell, so he quickly added, "Just to talk about what happened in private so we can move on or something."

Jazz perked up. "Good thinking, Danny. You've been paying attention to all those good things I say about psychology. Get things off your chest."

Jazz looked satisfied with herself for leaving some kind of positive impression on her little brother, unlike the crazy negativity he got from their parents. Danny was having to force the smile on his face. He couldn't care less about psychology.

Once everyone was out of the room, Danny desperately asked, "Seriously guys, what aren't you telling me?"

Sam and Tucker exchanged a nervous glance. "Um, Danny," Sam said, not quite able to meet his eyes. "You might want to sit down for this."

Danny sighed irritably. "Sam, I'm laying down. I can't sit down!"

Sam blushed. "Oh right. I wasn't paying attention. I'm too nervous!"

Now Danny was getting even more nervous. "Seriously guys, what did I say? What happened?"

Sam looked haunted. "You said," she began. "It's taking me over! It's taking me over! And," she continued, "What the heck is happening to me?!"

Danny cringed. "I don't remember saying that first part out loud, but something was there. It was doing something to me, it was—"

"We know, Danny," Tucker cut it. "We saw it."

Danny winced. "You saw me go intangible and invisible? Oh gosh did I go through the basement floor at home too or—?"

Tucker looked shocked. "Wait, what do you mean intangible and invisible? What do you mean going through the floor at home _too?_ " He put an emphasis on the word too.

Danny was cringing. "Um, well. When I first woke up, I was sort of uncontrollably going through objects. I think I'm getting a handle on it now."

"It does make sense," said Sam.

Danny was surprised. He'd been expecting more shock and even disbelief than this. "Guys," he asked nervously. "Seriously. What aren't you telling me?"

Again they exchanged anxious glances, then Tucker finally blurted, "We think you're something like a ghost now Danny. For about fifteen minutes there you didn't even look like you, then you changed back into a human, or at least we'd hoped so."

Danny grew several shades whiter. "What do you mean? What did I look like? Did I have a black cloak or a skull head or something?" He sounded shaken.

Sam actually laughed. "No way, but that would have been awesome."

Tucker glared. "Pretend you're not a goth for just a few more minutes, Sam."

She pouted then looked back at Danny who was as tense as a statue from suspense. "Danny," she said. "You did look like you mostly. Same hair. Same face body and skin. You just had well…" she trailed off. "You were glowing a bit and you had white hair."

Danny wasn't sure to be relieved that he hadn't looked like a freaky wraith for fifteen minutes of his life, or to be freaked out that he had temporarily gotten white hair decades too soon.

"Do you think it will happen again?" he asked shakily.

"Tucker shrugged. We don't know, maybe it's something you can get a handle on like this intangibility thing you told us about." He grinned a little. "Speaking of which, can we see it?"

Sam and Tucker actually looked excited. Nervous but excited. Danny found himself smiling a little, then his smile grew. He had people he could count on. Without a word he concentrated on his arm and willed it to become intangible. He was rewarded a moment later. His friends gasped.

"That is wicked cool," said Tucker. "I wish I could GIF this, but then people might come after—"

The moment was ruined as Danny suddenly lost concentration and started slipping through the bed and floor. Sam grabbed his one tangible hand just in time. He smiled at her gratefully, feeling relieved. She smiled too, then people began screaming. "There's a leg in the ceiling! There's a leg in the ceiling!"

Danny looked down at himself in shock, then he groaned. More surprises. He could also get stuck in solid objects if he didn't go through them completely. Great. Once again, he began to concentrate, willing this new power to work.

He didn't think too much of it at the time, but he was actually really enjoy it. The feeling of these powers was incredible. Almost intoxicating. A little voice in the back of his mind was trying to send warning bells that something was wrong with this feeling. Another louder voice sinisterly encouraged Danny on, fueling the new halfa with thoughts of what more amazing things could come.

Danny liked it, not realizing the thoughts weren't quite like his own. They weren't like anything his old self thought. He wasn't his old self though. He wasn't human anymore, and for the first time he actually thought that was pretty cool.

The malevolent force chuckled darkly at this. He was going to have so much fun corrupting Danny. Just like the force he came from had enjoyed corrupting Vlad Plasmius, the only other halfa to be created after thousands of years.

* * *

That was so much fun to write, and I couldn't resist posting it right away. Maybe that's a bad thing, maybe not? See you next time guys! ^_^


	3. Chapter 3: Jack Fenton Must Die?

**Chapter 3: Jack Fenton Must Die?**

Danny was relieved when he finally got released from the hospital. _Home!_ he thought happily. He was home. He'd never been so happy to see his room and to collapse on his own bed.

His pleasant thoughts couldn't last, though. He was admittedly pretty worried about his new condition. It was cool but freaky. His friends seemed to have accepted him despite it, but would his parents? They were ghost hunters. Would they hate him? Would they hunt their own son? Danny shuddered at the thought.

Reluctantly, Danny got out of bed and took a deep breath. He'd been dreading what he needed to do next. He needed to go back into the basement and face this. Trembling a little, he walked down the stairs and to the kitchen, then he entered the basement. He froze in place, staring in awe at the glowing green portal.

Cautiously, he approached it. He was drawn to it, but at the same time, he feared it. He feared what would happen and the possibility of feeling more of the evil force from before.

He finally reached the portal and extended his hand out to touch it. It was cold and intense, but he also felt incredibly good touching it. That bothered him. The fact that he was drawn to this energy probably wasn't good. Was it because he was something like a ghost now?

"Hey Danny! You came to check it out!" his dad shouted exuberantly. "Pretty cool isn't it?"

Danny laughed nervously as he turned to face his dad. "Yeah... it kind of is."

He winced a little after he said that. Wasn't this portal and everything in it evil? Shouldn't he be appalled by it? So why was he so excited every time he touched it?

His dad, being the clueless person he was, didn't catch on to Danny's emotions. He just grinned and looked at his portal with pride.

"Now we can finally get those ghosts," he said happily. "We can destroy them all."

Danny winced and looked down. His dad really would destroy him, wouldn't he? He felt sure now more than ever that he couldn't tell his parents what he had become. It crushed him.

"I'll tell ya son, this is going to change everything. Now your mother and I can do what we've wanted since college. Speaking of college…"

Danny tuned out his father's rant, feeling gloomy. He nodded and smiled, not really hearing what was said. Then he paled and gasped from a feeling of sudden cold and dread. Panicking from the sense, Danny spun around and recoiled at the sight of what looked like glowing green octopuses shooting out of the portal. They hissed excitedly, then they paused, looking confused. Which one of these two humans was Jack Fenton?

The larger and older of the two grinned wickedly. "Alright you ghosts! Let's see which one of you goes first! No one messes with Jack Fenton!" He pointed to himself proudly. "Which happens to be me."

This cleared things up wonderfully for the ghosts and they shot towards him giddily. Before the man had a chance to even retaliate, the ectopuses were attacking him viscously. Their prey punched and shoved to little effect. Eventually, a blow to the head had him knocked unconscious.

"Dad!" screamed Danny.

He was utterly horrified by the sight. He watched helplessly, frozen and not knowing what to do. When the creatures chuckled and started going for the final blows however, something inside Danny snapped.

"I won't let you kill him," he said with a deadly edge to his voice.

He raced towards then with a battle cry, feeling an icy power surge through him. Then he froze from the sensation and looked at himself. He was literally wearing the lab suit again, and his skin was glowing! He was pretty sure he had white hair too. Great.

The three octopus like ghosts eyed the boy warily. They hadn't been expecting this. Another ghost? Wasn't he a human? Or was he both? Was he like their master? Fear froze them too.

Danny breathed hard, panicking. He felt a new sort of power building up inside of him. It was much stronger than when he'd been turning intangible in the hospital. He hugged himself, trying to hold it all in. A look of pure terror and confusion was on his face.

The ectopuses exchanged wicked looks. The boy obviously didn't know what he was doing. They turned their attention back to Jack Fenton. Their prey was still unconscious on the floor.

Danny was scared out of his mind. What was this? Why did he look and feel like this? As he took notice of the green ghosts' actions however his mood changed. Anger and hate surged through him. He wouldn't let those _things_ kill his father. Freak or not, he was going to use what ever this was inside of him to save him.

Growling with a ferocity Danny didn't know he had, he stretched out his hands towards the three ghosts with the will to attack. To his utter shock and amazement, all that energy he'd felt building up inside released itself with glowing green blasts. They hit two of the ghosts, hurling them against the wall of the basement with a potent force. As the third creature started at him hatefully, Danny knew he had to do it again.

"You messed with the wrong family, dudes," he said wickedly.

"I might not really get what all this is," he continued gesturing to himself, "but I'll use it if that's what it takes to end you."

Anger touched his face. "No one, and I mean no one touches my family and gets away with it."

With those words, Danny summoned more of his pent up energy and willed it into his hands, then he shot it at the third ghost. This time it disintegrated into goo. Danny raised a cocky eyebrow at the other two ghosts who watched him in terror. Then they fled back into the portal at full speed.

Danny surprised himself a little when he felt disappointed. He'd kind of wanted to blast those ghosts again. Sighing, he looked himself over.

"Great. Now how do I change back?"

He strained himself, concentrating, then gradually two rings expanded out from his body and separated themselves. Feeling a lot weaker and a lot more human all of the sudden, Danny examined himself. He was no longer glowing.

He grinned. "That was actually really cool."

His smile faded then. "But what the heck am I?"

He sighed and went over to his dad, shaking him gently until he came to. Jack instantly became alert and got to his feet.

"Where are those ghosts? I'll get 'em for this!"

Danny chuckled a little. "You already did dad. See?" he asked pointing to the glowing green goo on the floor. It was all that remained of the third ghost.

Jack grinned, buying it as the loveably clueless person he was. "I did, didn't I, Danny! Now I just collect that ectoplasm."

Danny watched with a slightly grossed out expression as his Dad gathered up the goo and put it into a container. "Um, what are you going to do with that?" he asked.

His dad grinned at him. "I'm going to study it and see what makes ghosts tick. Then we Fentons can destroy them even better!"

He hummed merrily, leaving the basement, completely missing Danny's slumped shoulders and sad expression. Danny sighed feeling some amount of dread. "I knew it. I'm doomed." Then he followed his dad up the stairs.

* * *

Under orders, Skulker had watched and filmed the whole thing. He felt something like intimidation for the young boy who was now undoubtedly a halfa. Not really knowing what to make of the whole situation, the armored ghost stroked his flaming green hair and flew back through the portal. His boss would want to see everything that had happened.

Traveling took awhile, but Skulker finally made it back to his boss's portal. He was a little surprised to find his boss in his ghost form looking both irritated and amused. Seeing the two globs of ectoplasm on the floor, Skulker thought he knew what had happened.

"Those two idiot ectopuses had the audacity to run away and come back here." He laughed wickedly.

"Remind me," said Skulkler grimly, "Never to let that happen to me."

His boss rolled his eyes and reached out for the camera. Skulker handed it to him and watched as the half ghost plugged it into a device in his lab. Then the video began playing.

* * *

Vlad Plasmius watched as both the boy and his old rival, Jack Fenton, reacted to the entrance of the three ectopuses. The boy, grew pale, gasping and recoiling. It could have been a normal reaction if Vlad hadn't recognized the signs. This boy might very well be a halfa, but was he even aware of it?

The older halfa watched with equal amounts of annoyance and amusement as Jack boldly and stupidly announced who he was. The oaf put up a very poor fight, and much to Vlad's enjoyment, he got knocked unconscious. He wanted to keep looking at the sight of his temporally fallen enemy and became irritated when Skulker put the focus back on the boy. He cried out for his father, looking horrified and afraid. Then he looked angry and even a little frightening.

"I won't let you kill him," he said with a deadly edge to his voice.

Screaming in rage, the boy raced towards the ghosts, unaware that he was transforming into a ghost form until he seemed to feel it. Vlad grinned wickedly at having the boy's fate confirmed. He watched as overwhelming panic and confusion overtook the young halfa. The ectopuses seemed to be amused by his fear, then the boy steeled himself, suddenly fierce. He seemed to have come to a conclusion.

He growled ferociously before ectoplasmic blasts shot from his hands. The boy looked stunned and amazed, then he regained his composure.

"You messed with the wrong family, dudes," he said wickedly.

"I might not really get what all this is," he continued, gesturing to himself, "but I'll use it if that's what it takes to end you."

Anger touched his face. "No one, and I mean no one touches my family and gets away with it."

Vlad watched with a little surprise as the boy managed to summon another set of ectoplasmic blasts so quickly and even destroyed the third ectopus. He raised a cocky eyebrow at the other ectopuses. Then as the terrified ghosts fled back into the portal, the boy looked disappointed. Sighing, he looked himself over.

"Great. Now how do I change back?"

So he knew he could change back. Vlad wondered how. He watched as the boy concentrated and managed to shift himself into his human form.

He grinned. "That was actually really cool."

His smile faded then, "But what the heck am I?"

Vlad actually felt some amount of sympathy for the boy. He'd been in the exact same position once, after all. However, he became incredibly irritated when he watched the boy wake Jack up.

"Where are those ghosts? I'll get 'em for this!"

The boy chuckled a little. "You already did dad. See?" he asked pointing to the glowing green goo on the floor.

Vlad was baffled that the boy let his idiot father take the credit. He rolled his eyes as the oaf actually bought it.

Jack grinned. "I did, didn't I, Danny! Now I just collect that ectoplasm."

So the boy's name was Danny. Probably short for Daniel. Vlad liked Daniel better. He watched as Jack picked up the ectoplasm. Daniel looked a little grossed out.

"Um, what are you going to do with that?" he asked.

His dad grinned at him. "I'm going to study it and see what makes ghosts tick. Then we Fentons can destroy them even better!"

Jack hummed happily up the stairs, but Vlad was watching the boy's expression. He looked sad and dismayed. Then he said, "I knew it. I'm doomed." After he walked up the stairs, Skulker ended the tape.

Daniel seemed smart enough to understand that he would be hunted. He seemed to know something of what had happened to him. Vlad rubbed his chin, thinking hard. He was honestly intrigued and kind of impressed with the boy.

He found himself even wanting to meet him somehow. It was so tempting of a thought to finally meet another halfa. The problem was, Vlad knew he would never get the boy's time of day if Daniel knew Vlad was out to kill his father.

Vlad's face fell and he sighed. This was dreadful. How could watching a video for a few short minutes make him doubt something he'd been planning for twenty years? Somehow, though more than even killing Jack, he wanted the boy for himself. Perhaps he was thinking too rashly and going about this too quickly. If he didn't rush things so much and waited, he might just be able to get everything he wanted, including this new halfa. He grinned wickedly. Jack Fenton would die, and by the time he did, he would be filled with despair. Somehow, Vlad would turn Jack's own son against him. The question was how. He thought on it and grinned wickedly.

"Skulker," he said, turning to his employee. "We're going to keep spying on that halfa."

* * *

Skulker shuddered. The older halfa was definitely interested in that boy. Eventually there were going to be two of them. This job might pay well, but he wondered what would happen to the ghost zone now. If the whelp actually became Vlad Plusmius's apprentice, nothing would ever be the same in either world. Halfas were just too powerful. They truly were a force to be reckoned with.

 _At least I'm on the winning side,_ thought Skulker with a grin. His smile fell as he thought of all the spying he'd have to do. Most of his jobs were enjoyable. Keeping an eye on the whelp wouldn't be. Still, he nodded at his employer to show his consent. Vlad grinned evilly and proceeded to watch the video again.


	4. Chapter 4: Bullies

**Chapter 4: Bullies**

"Let me get this straight," said Tucker. "A ton of ghosts came through the portal, knocked your dad unconscious, and you kicked their butts with freak'n ghost powers?!"

Danny nodded, feeling uncomfortable. He wasn't sure how he felt about the way his friends were looking at him. Honestly, he wasn't even sure what their expressions meant. So he was surprised when their eyes lit up and Tucker grinned.

"That's totally awesome!"

Danny laughed with equal amounts of anxiety and relief. Maybe it wasn't as bad as he'd thought. "So you can control that white hair and glowing after all," Sam said with a smile. "I knew you could."

Danny smiled gratefully with a fluttering feeling in his chest as he looked at Sam. Tucker snorted, looking at the two of them as if he knew something they didn't. The dark skinned boy thought it should be obvious. Sam was totally crazy about Danny. His blue eyes and messy dark hair made him a looker, even if he didn't have much muscle definition. Danny seemed to be pretty into Sam as well. Sadly, neither of them could admit it, even to themselves.

Oblivious to Tucker's reaction, Danny was about to say something else, then he choked out a gasp. His mood became wary as the icy sensation escaped his mouth again. He looked around swiftly, feeling as though someone was watching him, but nothing was there. He rubbed his head in confusion. Was he imagining it? Maybe he was still just jumpy from yesterday. Yeah. That had to be it.

"Danny, what is it?" asked Sam worriedly.

Danny gave her a quick reassuring smile. "It's nothing. I guess I'm still feeling a bit on edge."

With those words, the three fourteen year olds continued their conversation. Then to their dismay, they saw an unpleasantly familiar face casually approaching them. Dash Baxter. The bully was obviously looking for trouble.

* * *

Vlad berated himself from getting so close. He might be invisible right now, but Daniel had obviously sensed him. Fortunately, he was too inexperienced to know what that feeling meant. Vlad's attention went away from that as he noticed a smirking jock slam his fist against Daniel's locker.

"Hey Fentina! I heard you had a week long vacation. Thought you could use a little welcome back."

Daniel's fist clenched. "Go away, Dash."

"Yeah, Dash. No one wants you here," Tucker added.

The smirking jock reddened. "I don't care if you were in a coma, Fentina. You need to learn who's boss again."

Vlad watched emotionlessly as Dash shoved Daniel's friends out of the way and clutched him by the collar. Slamming him against his own locker. So he was constantly bullied. That wasn't impressive. However, when he saw Daniel's eyes flash green with anger, Vlad couldn't help grinning a little. This might just get interesting after all.

"Okay, you can do that to me and I wouldn't care," Daniel growled. "My friends are off limits, though!"

Dash eyed his prey oddly. Usually the loser never put up much of a fight. Now he looked almost, well...scary. The blond jock hesitated even more when he saw the guy smirk. Things were getting unbearably tense, until they were saved by the bell.

"This isn't over Fentina!" Dash called, going down the hall. "You're still gonna take a beating today!"

Daniel's fists shook at his sides with anger. His eyes were flashing green with fury. Then an unfriendly smile touched his lips.

"It's Fenton, Dash, but you're right, it isn't over. Except I'm not the one getting a beating today."

Daniel's friends stared at him like they were just seeing him for the first time. Vlad could tell this wasn't the boy's usual behavior.

"Uh, Danny," the girl named Sam said a little warily. "Your eyes are kind of glowing green, and since when do you mess with Dash? You could get hurt!"

Danny looked surprised. "Wait? My eyes are glowing green?" He blinked rapidly, shaking his head, then he looked in a locker mirror. He sighed with relief when he saw that they were blue again.

"Um, see you guys in class," he said a little hesitantly.

"Yeah. Sure, man," Tucker said, and the teens went their separate ways.

Vlad watched the boy somewhat curiously, but began wondering if he was wasting his time. What could he possibly hope to see happen that would be of any interest?

When a mischievous grin touched the boy's face and he went into a storage closet, Vlad knew something was up. A faint glowing shone through the door, then Daniel literally phased through it. So he'd learned how to do that already as well. What was he up to, though? How could he let himself risk exposure either? Maybe he really wasn't so bright.

Vlad took that back when Daniel also managed to turn invisible. He followed the boy by the feel of his ghost sense until they ended up in the boys' locker room. The blond jock from earlier was there chatting with his friends as they prepped for gym.

Only Vlad noticed the finger seemingly floating in the air that tapped on Dash's shoulder, only to disappear.

Dash spun around, and seeing no one, he looked spooked. "Who's there?!"

His friends just stared at him. "Dude, who are you talking to?"

"No one!" Dash said quickly.

"You're going to fail today, Dash," came a cold whisper.

Dash looked around him again. "Show your face you, you—whoever you are!"

Daniel laughed as the other guys in the room stared at Dash like he was crazy. Then a moment later, Daniel walked over to them, fully visible and human again.

"Dash, really. Maybe you need to see a doctor. Hearing voices? That's just not normal."

Dash glared, "Why you little—!" He was cut short as Daniel stepped out into the gym.

Vlad couldn't help being a little amused. Although this was childish, the boy was at least proving to have a growing handle on his new abilities. Better yet, he seemed to be enjoying inflicting pain with them. He watched with boredom as the gym class went on.

Daniel wasn't very good at basketball by the looks of it, so he was forced to sit on the bench. Depressingly, no one even seemed to notice him there. Glaring at his more popular peers, Daniel seemed to get an idea. He ducked behind a bleacher bench and turned invisible again.

Vlad watched with amusement as the blond bully was subjected to all kinds of problems. He tripped constantly. None of his shots made the basket, and he was starting to freak out from those voices again. Eventually, the coach worriedly excused Dash to the nurses office. A fact the jock was horrified about.

"No! I'm fine. I can play. Really!"

The coach shook his head. "You're not feeling well. I can tell. Hearing voices? You probably have a fever or something."

Dash looked mortified as chuckles went throughout the room. Daniel's laughter was the hardest. Having done the damage, he went back to the bleachers and turned visible again.

After the class, his friends practically attacked him for what they knew he'd done. "Danny, that just isn't like you! I know Dash is a pain, and the jerk probably deserved it, but it doesn't mean you have to stoop to his level!"

Danny glared a little but sighed. "Fine. I won't do it again, but that was long overdue payback, and I finally can give him payback!" he looked both disappointed and happy at the same time.

"Danny," said Sam worriedly. "Just don't let this ghost thing get to your head."

"You guys seemed cool with it earlier," he grumbled.

"Yeah," said Tucker, "but you were saving your dad's life from ghosts then, not attacking a person."

Daniel's shoulders slumped. "As much as I don't want to say Dash is a person, you've got a point." His friends took what they could from that, leaving it there, then the three of them walked off.

The one thing Vlad could truly conclude from this spying session was that he now had more questions than answers about the boy. He would just have to keep learning more. For now, he was content to see how quickly Daniel was getting a hold of his abilities so far, and that he didn't seem to mind using them for less than kind purposes if it came to payback. Ultimately, Vlad could tell he wasn't the sort to hurt anyone, though.

 _"At least,"_ he thought with a wicked grin, _"not yet."_


	5. Chapter 5: Midnight Menace

**Sorry I haven't updated in so long, guys! I've gotten pretty into making a comic adaption of this story lately, but here I am with chapter 5. :D BTW, if you'd like to see "The Darkness Inside" as a manga, you can search for it on smackjeeves, comicfury, and deviantart. Although, I'd recommend looking up ImmortalDreams1994 on deviantart to find it there. Anyway, enough rambling. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Midnight Menace**

As much as Danny needed it, he just couldn't sleep that night. He felt restless as his mind dwelled on recent events. He was literally like a ghost now with some seriously freaky super powers to go with it. Since when was something like that even possible? A more puzzling question bothered him. Why had he felt so okay with using them outside of a life and death situation?

He'd only pushed away his fear and revulsion towards his powers and used them violently that first time when those ghosts were going to kill his dad. Now, without even flinching, he had almost destroyed Dash's reputation and sanity. He hadn't even hesitated to use his ghostly abilities on another person if it meant payback. He had been so consumed with anger and the need to get back at Dash for his endless, and insufferable bullying, that he pushed all his inhibitions and fears of the unknown aside. His parents had taught him better than to be vengeful or mean, and although Danny had never listened, they had taught him to be wary of the paranormal too.

All that had mattered to him in that moment, though, was how he was feeling. Dark. Bitter. Resentful. Wanting revenge. Wanting to make Dash feel as hurt and low on the food chain as he always made Danny feel.

The scariest thing was—that was something Danny had never wanted before. Not to that extent. He usually just meekly put up with it all to get it over with. Something had changed in him. He wasn't just affected physically by this ghost change. He was affected mentally and emotionally.

Danny quivered and clenched his fists, not liking this at all. He then ripped his covers off of him and snuck out of his room. He quickly but quietly made his way into the basement and glared at the portal. It was the closest he could come to glaring at this new force inside of him. It was where this had all started after all.

He suddenly felt kind of silly. What could he possibly expect to happen? Coming here wouldn't change anything. It wouldn't make him normal again. Besides, it wasn't like these ghost powers had an awareness of their own to yell at. They were a part of him. So even if that malevolent force was separate from him once, they were one and the same now.

The finality of that admission chilled him. His life was never going to be the same. Sure, these powers were really amazing and fun to use, but the price was too high. His parents would hunt him down for being the way he was, and who knew what else might come out of that darned portal.

His expression melted into worry. Those ghosts had gone right ahead and attacked his dad. What if more came after him? Worse. What if more of them came after him, and his dad saw Danny in his ghostly form?

"Well, nothing else is going to come out," he said as strongly as he could, as if to reassure himself. "It just can't. I won't let—"

As a deep beastly roar sounded from behind the portal, Danny tensed up. If he didn't know any better, he'd say he just jinxed himself. As the monstrous bellows grew louder, Danny panicked. He desperately tried to find an off switch for the portal, but the only one had been in the tunnel.

Finally, he got the sense to duck out of the way just in the nick of time. Not a moment after he'd backed into a corner of the room, a gigantic scaly beast erupted from the portal. Danny could only blink. Was that a dragon? Since when were there ghost dragons?

The monster turned its head and fixed its large yellow eyes on Danny. It looked menacing but almost curious as well. Danny was so terrified, her could barely find his voice.

"Um...hi. I'm Danny." He felt like a moron for talking to the dragon like it understood, but he was in too much shock to think of what else to do.

"I uh...I'd like to be an astronaut someday and hopefully go do the school dance with Paulina, but she'd say no because I'm a out of her league, and Dash probably asked her already. That is if you don't eat me first..."

He was a babbling idiot, and he knew it. It made him turn beat red. The dragon's eyes narrowed, and a growl rippled from it's throat. It was only getting more agitated. So much for his future.

The dragon grew near to his stiff form, and it seemed like the end for him, then a fierce female voice rang through the room.

"Get away from my son you worthless piece of ecto slime!"

His mom, clad in her blue ghost hunting suit, fired a blast from a large gun at the ghost dragon. It cried in pain and anger, but it was far from gone. His mom's face just grew even more determined at this realization, and she shot twice more.

This was the dragon's breaking point. It roared in agony and cast a last hateful glare before flying upward. Danny watched in horror as he waited for it to bring the roof crashing down, but instead it just went through it. Oh right. It had ghost powers.

"Daniel Fenton! What in the world are you doing down here at this hour?!"

Danny cringed as all his mom's aggression got directed at him. He decided to just tell her the truth, or at least part of it. "I was feeling upset about what happened with the portal. I guess I just wanted to see it."

His mom's face softened into worry and some amount of guilt. "I'm sorry, honey. I shouldn't have yelled."

She then narrowed her eyes dangerously in an off direction, "But your father and I really need to deal with that ghost!"

Danny panicked. "Um, mom, are you sure that's the best idea? It's a freakn' dragon, for crying out loud!"

She smiled confidently. "Don't be silly, Danny. Your father and I are ghost hunting experts. It's that dragon that should be worried for itself."

Danny stifled a groan. His parents really had no idea what they were getting into, did they? That's when he reminded himself, he didn't really know what he was getting into either. Despite all that, he was probably better equipped than his parents to handle a ghost. Sure, he hadn't handled the situation well just now, but he was in shock, and the dragon had the upper hand.

For the sake of his parents, he was going to get on top of things and beat that dragon. More importantly, he was going to do it first, or his parents might not make it. He shuddered at the idea, thinking of his dad, beaten and unconscious on the floor earlier. That couldn't happen again, ever, so as much ad Danny dreaded the idea of fighting that thing or getting seen and caught by his parents in his ghost form, he was all in.


End file.
